To Keep The Model 3 Cheap, Tesla Will Charge For A Very Important Feature

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Tesla is charging to charge. Wait, what?

The Model 3 will be the cheapest car in the Tesla lineup. That alone has led people to pre-order it en masse, this despite knowing little about it. Basically, people assumed that it would come with the same benefits as a more expensive Model S, but at a cheaper cost. Now, Elon Musk may have confirmed how Tesla was able to lower the price on the Model 3, at least by a little bit. Model 3 owners won't get something that model S and Model X owners currently get for free.

At Tesla's annual shareholders meeting, CEO Elon Musk said that "free supercharging fundamentally has a cost" and that "the obvious thing to do is decouple that from the cost of the Model 3. So it will still be very cheap, and far cheaper than gasoline, to drive long-distance with the Model 3, but it will not be free long distance for life unless you purchase that package.” Musk did not say what a "supercharger package" would cost for Model 3 owners, but we do know that it won't be free as it is for current Tesla owners. Sorry to anyone who thought they could mingle with all of the wealthy Model S and Model X owners at supercharger stations. You still can, just not for free.

This might not be a deal-breaker for some, but this news is definitely not good for people who pre-ordered the car hoping to use the supercharger network for free. This could impact the usability of the Model 3 for long-distance road trips. Perhaps pre-ordering a car without knowing much about it is a gamble better left for extremely wealthy individuals.